Whimsy abounds in a medley of poems about forest creatures and nature in the woods. Deborah Ruddell offers up a “Biography of a Beaver” (“Bucktoothed Cleaver / Tree Retriever…Waterproof Weaver…”), a “Proposal for a Squirrel Spa” (“someplace very la-di-dah, / with all the walnuts she can eat / and pedicures for all four feet”), and other smile-inducing rhymes. But she also pauses for moments of thoughtful reflection, as in “The Forest’s Royal Family”: “the deer inspect their royal grounds— / their breezy castles rising high, / their kingdom built of trees and sky.” The quirky quality of many of the illustrations is well-matched to the playful tone of the accompanying poems, while other images emphasize nature’s beauty. (Ages 4–8)